Here’s what’s replacing Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes

“It’s set up well for what we want to do, which is a mix of production and food prep,” Regalbuto said of the building. “To ride the coattails of [Cowgirl Creamery] and go into that space feels like such a positive move for us.”

Wild West Ferments launched in 2010 shortly after Levinger’s mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. Levinger, who was working in the restaurant industry at the time, began researching and learning more about the benefits of fermented foods that eventually led to the start of her business. Wild West Ferments started selling a selection of fermented goods around Bay Area farmers markets and later grew to offer wholesale. Today, locals can find their products at Gus’s Community Market, Bi-Rite, Berkeley Bowl and Whole Foods, among other local health food stores.

Luke Regalbuto and Maggie Beth Levinger are the owners of Wild West Ferments. The business is slated to open its first brick-and-mortar in 2023 at the former home of Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station. (Photo: Trinette Reed Photography)
Luke Regalbuto and Maggie Beth Levinger are the owners of Wild West Ferments. The business is slated to open its first brick-and-mortar in 2023 at the former home of Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station. (Photo: Trinette Reed Photography)

For years, Regalbuto and Levinger said they used restaurant kitchen spaces around Marin County to prepare Wild West Ferments products, but over time, finding locations around Marin became too challenging.

“It’s been an uphill battle the whole time,” Levinger said. “We’re trying to do longer veggie fermentation times, which means we need more space because [vegetables] must sit longer.”

Now with ample space in Sonoma County, the pair plan to expand their roster of items and return to producing some of their more obscure goods, such as smreka, a Bosnian juniper berry drink. Adding to that, Regalbuto and Levinger hope they can expand their list of wild fermented fruit sodas, which they haven’t been able to make for their wholesale accounts.  

“Focusing on wholesale for the last several years has pushed us away from our original intention and so it’s wonderful getting back to our roots,” Levinger said.

In August, Pamela Dressler, the managing director at Cowgirl Creamery, told SFGATE that “there were no easy solutions” to continue operating the former Cowgirl Creamery retail store in Point Reyes.  

“Point Reyes Station was the home of Cowgirl for many years, and it will always be a cornerstone of our story and who we are, but there have long been challenges with maintaining a retail shop and cheesemaking facility in this location,” Dressler said. “For instance … we are unable to build bathroom facilities and unable to scale Red Hawk production and meet the demands of existing and new consumers.”

Regalbuto and Levinger anticipate opening in the spring of 2023. They added that they will be joined by other local vendors and artisans within the former Cowgirl Creamery space, but did not offer additional details.